Blackwater Scoping Meeting at San Diego County DPLU, April 5, 2007 (complete)

Citizens Oversight (2007-04-05) Raymond Lutz

This Page: https://copswiki.org/Common/M3
Media Link: http://youtu.be/U--8nCBpeG8
More Info: Blackwater, Blackwater West, Private Mercenaries, War Profiteering

Blackwater USA, infamous in the Falluja massacre, is proposing an 824-acre facility in a valley just north of Potrero, a small town (~850 people) on SR 94 about 1 hour east of San Diego. The project description submitted by Blackwater includes:

• Military style training facility on 824 acres in Potrero, California, for 300 students and 60 staff members.
• 9 carbine ranges, 300 x 225 ft. each
• 1 carbine range, 600 x 225 ft.
  • NOTE: the Potrero planning group has been told verbally that there would be only 8 ranges instead of 10.
• 5 pistol ranges, 150 x 150 ft. each
• 2 live-fire fully ballistic multi-level shoot houses, 4,600 sq ft each
• 15 live-fire fully ballistic single-level shoot houses, 20 x 60 (1200 sqft) each
• 2 mile tactical driving track with gasoline storage tank.
• 350 foot diameter EVOC skid pad.
• 400 foot diameter helipad
• 33,000 square foot urban simulation training area composed of shipping crates stacked to simulate city buildings on paved streets
• 1 training tower, 5 level, 40 x 20 ft., 800 sq. ft. total
• 1 training tower, 6 level, 24 x 48ft., 1,152 sq. ft. total
• 4 ship simulators, 3 levels, indoor-outdoor, made of stacked shipping containers.
• 1 Armory building for storage of guns and ammunition, 18,000 sq. ft.
• 2 Dormitory buildings, 18,000 sq. ft. each
• 2 classroom buildings, 18,000 sq. ft. each
• 1 Defensive training building, 10,000 sq. ft.
• 1 Dining hall, 10,000 sq. ft.
• 1 Facility maintenance building, 18,000 sq. ft.
• Various other buildings totaling 13,280 sq. ft.

Even if you don't live in Potrero, you should be concerned about this project. It is converting a sensitive habitat, including a portion of the Cleveland National Forest and bordering BLM lands, into a heavy-use facility with noise (gunfire), water needs and pollution, air pollution, traffic congestion, etc. It is just a very bad idea.

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